Why Disney’s Snow White is a mixed-up mess that’s underwhelming from start to finish

There’s something not quite right from the get-go in Disney’s woefully underwhelming attempt to revive a classic fairytale, writes Leigh Paatsch.

Animation fans will be desperately disappointed with the live action Snow White, but the reboot of the classic Looney Tunes favourites fares a lot better.

DISNEY’S SNOW WHITE (PG)

Andrew Burnap and Rachel Zegler in the disastrous Disney’s Snow White.

Director: Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap

★½

Heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s out the door we go

Disney’s track record with live-action remakes of the studio’s iconic animated titles has been iffy to say the very least.

However, there is no need for ifs or even buts when it comes to Disney’s Snow White.

Sure, this movie rarely looks right (who gave Snow that awful new hairdo?) and barely sounds right (the new songs are lamentable and old songs like Whistle While You Work are butchered).

But not once does Disney’s Snow White feel right in any shape or form.

The title role is played by West Side Story star Rachel Zegler, a talented singer and actress who is given no opportunity to shine by a drab, greyed-out screenplay.

While her Snow White remains an active assassination target for a jealous Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), a rolling series of contradictory adjustments to the character leaves Zegler looking strangely disconnected from what is happening around her.

Sometimes Snow is a fearless, independent dynamo. Other times she is a bit of a helpless doormat.

As for the bloke who is supposed to be the Prince Charming of this affair – now a cheery dullard named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) – it is not unreasonable to find yourself wishing the Evil Queen had a spare poisoned apple to put in his lunch box ASAP.

Gal Gadot plays the Evil Queen in Snow White.

Then there is the not-so-small conundrum of what Disney would elect to do about Snow White’s seven co-stars from the original animated classic.

Quite rightly, a movie making light of dwarfism in the name of all-ages entertainment has no place on the big screen in 2025.

However, now Snow White is hanging out with a bunch that are vaguely described as seven “magical creatures”.

While you can still work out who’s who in this motley mob (there’s a happy one, a dopey one and a sleepy one, etc), the characters themselves are presented as awkwardly animated CGI figures of varying shapes, sizes and personalities that are uniformly unremarkable in every way.

This oh-so-21st-century updating of the famous fairytale is spectacularly underwhelming from start to finish: a cinematic butter sculpture that continually seems as if it is about to melt down into a pool of yellowish goo.

Disney’s Snow White is in cinemas now

LOCKED (MA15+)

Bill Skarsgard in Locked.

★★★

General release

The concept is everything here, and for much of this edgy thriller a cleverly catchy idea keeps up its end of the bargain in fine style.

So there’s this low-level crook named Eddie (Bill Skarsgard). In desperate need of cash, he’s just busted his way inside a swank SUV so he can ransack the glovebox. However, there is every likelihood Eddie won’t be getting away with his hit-run heist. Upon attempting an exit, a posh-yet-peeved voice (supplied by none other than the great Anthony Hopkins) informs the young thief he is now being held prisoner inside a self-locking, self-driving vehicle. However, the ornery owner of the car – an elderly gent who goes by the name of William – won’t be delivering his passenger direct to the nearest police station. No, William intends to have some sinister fun at the expense of Eddie, largely as payback for all the other times someone has tried to steal his wheels. In fact, not unlike Jigsaw from the Saw movies, old Willie has rigged up the SUV with all kinds of elaborate traps to intimidate and punish his prey.

For a feature film set almost entirely inside a car, Locked is still able to keep proceedings lively, unpredictable and faintly amusing for much of its running time. The only sticking point for many viewers will be the choices that the filmmakers have made when it comes to ending this surreal saga. After all that build-up, some are bound to be irritated by Locked’s inelegant finale.

LOONEY TUNES: THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP (PG)

Porky Pig and Daffy Duck make an inspired pairing in Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up.

★★★

General release

Longtime Looney Tunes fans might be initially disappointed that the undisputed king of this time-honoured cartoon universe – the immortally cool Bugs Bunny – is nowhere to seen in this feature-length reactivation of the franchise. However, the proven combo of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig turns out to be a mighty effective second choice for an endearingly silly adventure that never outstays its welcome.

The ever-excitable Daffy and the ever-reliable Porky have been buddied-up here to form the only line of resistance to a coming alien invasion. They’ve landed the gig by accident, of course, after a slimy green meteor from outer space puts a hole in the roof of their house. As has been the Looney Tunes tradition, this experience goes all the better when it stops telling any kind of story and starts anarchically messing around with the laws of physics, logic and preventive medicine.

Best of all, the movie has been made by a creative team who fundamentally understand that, when done right, the ridiculous repartee shared by an exasperated duck and a nervous pig will never fail to entertain.

Originally published as Why Disney’s Snow White is a mixed-up mess that’s underwhelming from start to finish